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Calgary Herald

It's time to change the conversation about the economy and climate change

Another devastating forest fire season is upon us and the eastern U.S. has been sizzling under a record-breaking heat dome. We can no longer ignore that climate change is the cause. Article content Our climate is warming due to rising atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, and Canadian families are now regularly paying the price: displacement, rising insurance costs, damage to property and, in extreme situations, loss of life. Yet, at the June G7 meeting, world leaders signed the Kananaskis Wildfire Charter without once mentioning climate change. Article content Article content Article content Meanwhile, Canada has fallen behind in meeting emission-reduction targets under the Paris Agreement — an agreement ratified by 194 countries designed to slow climate change. While the oil and gas industry is a major contributor to Canada's economy, it accounts for approximately 30 per cent of Canada's total emissions and is the main reason it is missing its emission targets. Article content Article content Corporate and political leaders have failed to come together to create a serious plan to reduce emissions from the oil and gas sector, while promoting stability in its workforce and economic prosperity more generally. Entrenched positions and political grandstanding have only resulted in ever-increasing emissions from this sector, while the climate change can gets kicked down the road. Article content A recent analysis of public opinion data on climate change by ( finds that while there has been a decline in public prioritization of global warming in part due to economic and sovereignty threats, 'most Canadians are worried about climate change and want governments and industries to tackle the problem.' Article content Article content How do we move forward constructively? Article content First, we must stop the rancorous way we debate the issues. People fleeing forest fires are not interested in the divisiveness and indignation that have characterized past interaction between oil and gas interests, environmental interests, and federal and provincial governments. Instead, honest dialogue and respectful debate will move us toward a shared vision faster than anything else. We need to bring together the best and brightest of all political stripes, Indigenous organizations, the for- and non-profit sectors, levels of government and civil society, all with the capacity to find common ground. Article content Second, provincial, territorial and federal governments must actively recommit to the targets we set under the Paris Agreement, because without setting the bar for emissions and measuring results, there will be no progress on climate policy. While the political conversation has recently shifted away from climate policy, the context for fruitful dialogue is improving. The long shadow of the United States is fading, giving way to an internal will to diversify our economy in preparation for the global economy of 2050 and beyond.